Dwarven affections,
by Suryallee
Summary: Or; How to avoid to get caught from one for the rest of your live. (When they set their minds to it to catch you, they can be surprisingly sneaky! And what is worse, they have helping cousins, meddling friends under royals and a possessive streak that makes all plans on escape pointless!)
1. Chapter 1

**Dwarven affections, or; How to avoid to get caught from one for the rest of your live. **

**Thanks a ton to my Lovely Beta Elu! **

(When they set their minds to it to catch you, they can be surprisingly sneaky! And what is worse, they have helping cousins, meddling friends under royals and a possessive streak that makes all plans on escape pointless!)

**Unsuspecting toys, or; the snare is set. **

The first time Bilbo finds a toy on his bedroll he thinks it comes from Bofur.

It is a wooden Yo Yo and he wonders what to do with it besides playing with it. That is until he looks at it closer and identifies it as the very toy that Bifur has made the last night at the fire. He is confused, yes, but not affronted or angry. He chalks it off as Bifur being his odd self and even finds a smile and thanks for the Dwarf with the axe in the head.

The second time he finds toy on his bedroll he is confused and wonders if it could be that the Dwarf thinks him to be a fauntling still.

It wouldn't surprise Bilbo much if Bifur truly did so, not really. The other is not always completely in this reality. Even Bilbo had gotten that much already. He gives polite thanks again and tries to tell Bifur that he is no Hobbitling… although, he isn't sure later that he did fully succeeded with his endeavor.

Given that his efforts only got him a kindly pat on his head and few words in Khuzdul.

Bilbo can barely contain himself from fiddling around with the tiny wooden horse that reminds him so much on his lost Myrtle. Hobbits love presents and even as adults, they sometimes still love to play with their Hobbitling's toys, secretly, of course. Now, Bilbo is no child and neither is he a father but even he feels the pull and so he resolutely puts the toy away so he can't accidentally do it anyways. Vala forbid that Thorin or his nephews see him! He would never live that one down.

The third time he receives a toy on his bedroll, Bilbo rolls his eyes skywards and thinks that he needs to talk with Bombur and Bofur to sort his newest problem out.

This time it was an outlandish Board game.

Complete with the stones to play it together with someone else. Gathering his strange presents close, he walks over to Bofur and his brother and settles next to the two at the fire. Showing them the gifts and explaining his worries to them, he had not expected them both to break out in uncomfortable laughs. Neither would Bilbo have anticipated it that Bofur would blush ever so slightly when seeing the flustered Hobbit and his presents.

"Ye see _(Bofur tells him)_ it is like this, Bilbo. My cousin is a bit addled since the battle. I think ye know that too and that's why ye didn't say something until now. Since the battle he has begun to bring home strays, ye know? Like cats, dogs and birdies or whatever else he run across. Always nursed them back to health and kept them as long as he could."

Bilbo looked with wide round eyes at the brothers.

"You mean to tell me that your cousin sees me as his pet Hobbit?!"

Another nervous laugh escapes first Bofur and then Bombur, both reddening rapidly at Bilbo's words.

"Uhm… kind of? Please don't get mad? I mean, he kinda does just not as a pet but more like an distraction, ye know. He seems to need something or someone he can fret over. It distracts Bifur from getting into his _'moods'_ and keeps him more grounded, you see. Actually, since he focused on you, my cousin has been better off now than the last few years altogether and that says something, trust me! So, could ye please let him play fuzz a while longer and not get angry at him?" At Bofur's and Bombur's twin puppy dog eyes, even Bilbo found it hard to stay mad at them or Bifur.

Rubbing his face the Hobbit tried to make sense out of the weird situation he got himself into, whilst trying not to laugh at the insanity of it all and his new function as a hobby in Bifur's life.

"So basically you two knew about this all the time and now you want me to let him do as he wishes so he feels content. Am I right?"

Both Dwarves nodded enthusiastically back at him. All that Bilbo could do in the face of such hopeful looks was to cave in and he found himself reluctantly nodding his consent before he realized what he was doing.

"All right, all right, if it makes him happy and feel better he may keep up with this.

Although I feel a slightly bit put out about this all, I will continue to put up with it for his sake.

I would never begrudge someone's happiness, especially someone like Bifur who has had a bad life more than most. Although I feel like I am taking advantage of him, in a way, if you understand what I mean to say. I will not keep the lovely things he put on my bedroll, that would be taking advantage of him, Bofur. So you two will have to think about a way to take them back without to upset him, to put them to better use for him, do we have an agreement?"

Bofur nodded at Bilbo with a wide and honest smile on his face. "Don't ye worry about that lad. Bilbo, we understand fully and would never let that happen to Bifur. Actually that is awfully kind from ye to look out for our cousin! We will think of something, rest assured." His eyes crinkled at the corners when Bofur gave Bilbo a gentle smile.

In the end, Bilbo only kept the little toy pony with him and left the other two toy's with Bombur for safekeeping.

Shaking his head in his bewilderment on his way back to his bedroll, Bilbo missed the surprised looks from the various members of Thorin's group who sat near the brothers.

They had listened in while Bifur whittled away on something new, sitting next to Gandalf and both seated a good deal away from the rest of the group. Seemingly not even realizing or caring about it that Bilbo had spoken with his cousins on his behalf. The others however, they had heard Bilbo's little speech and it earned him appraising looks in his wake.

Bilbo, clueless as only he could sometimes be it when deep in thought, missed the suddenly much kinder looks he was now given and settled down to sleep.

He also missed the contemplative glances of Bofur that the Dwarf sends his way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Dwarven affections, or; How to avoid to get caught from one for the rest of your live. **

**Chap 2, Watch out! Dwarves are tricky in ensnaring your affections! **

**Note, I thought I had already added this chapter! SORRY! **

The pattern of things appearing on his bedroll went on over the next days.

Often Bifur settled now down next to the hobbit when they took a stop somewhere or he simply took Bilbo by the hand or the hem of his waistcoat to steer him over to his cousins to sit down, or walk next to them on the roads. Especially often the Dwarf with the axe in the head settled Bilbo down next to Bofur before he went away again to walk on or settle down next to his kin. That may, or may not, have confused Bilbo a bit but the Hobbit shrugged it off soon enough. Bofur was good company and both often talked over this and that on their time together.

And to be honest here, Bilbo liked the Dwarf with the floppy hat and almost Hobbit like character.

Bilbo endured Bifur's mothering him with gentle smiles and open sympathy. He never said something against the strange actions of the older Dwarf and neither did he encourage him too much. This way, Bilbo got used to Bofur and Bombur on their march to the lonely Mountain. He also used the time spend with them to slip to them the little gifts of their cousin, when Bifur wasn't looking.

After the trolls had turned to stone and they had discovered their cave, Bilbo found a small barrel filled with smoke weed to the rim. Right in a corner of the outer cave part. To his dismay he found his pipe broken when he wanted to smoke some. Figuring that he must have landed onto it when the troll had thrown him at Kili, Bilbo sat dejectedly the little barrel down again to look at his broken pipe.

In the end, he spread portions of the weed under the thankful group of Dwarves in equal amounts. Keeping only a fair share to himself whilst mourning over his broken pipe. It earned him twin squeals of happiness from Kili and Fili who had lost their shared pipe weed on the journey a while ago.

They promptly hugged Bilbo in front of the group that chuckled between mumblings of; 'finally the duo would stop buggering them all for weed'.

It was Bofur who shared his pipe with him that day the first and later Gandalf lend Bilbo his for a smoke. This continued over the next day under the company. In the morning it was Gloin who shared his with Bilbo and later Fili did so too. It's carved head was much admired by Bilbo what seems to make the younger Dwarf proud and happy. When they finally settled down for the night, Bilbo found a freshly carved pipe on his bedroll.

He promptly hugged the pleased looking Bifur in his happiness who patted him happily back on the back.

Right under the amused chuckles and smiles of his cousins and the other Dwarves. Even Thorin smirked at the sight of one overenthusiastic Hobbit in their middle. Bilbo promptly puffed away quite happily and content on his bedroll that, once again, was somehow flanked by that of Bofur and his kin on the right and the Durin Brothers on his left.

Since slightly a few days before the Troll debacle this had become a custom that Bilbo still could not get used to, if he was honest.

Bilbo made sure that the pipe was always safely tucked away in a small wooden box within his bundle from now on.

Were it could not accidentally be broken again. It wasn't an elaborate thing like Fili's boar pipe or Thorin's, just a small pipe with a bluntly carved horse head on the end. Still, the pipe was carved with care and a skill that Bilbo could never hope to attain for the life of him. He shared his new pipe with Bifur that night what had Bombur give him a friendly smile so full of gratefulness over his cousin's happiness that Bilbo could not help as to smile back openly at the large Dwarf.

He wasn't aware of it that night that when Bofur finally left his watch to bed down that he covered the slightly shivering Hobbit deeper under Bilbo's coat. He did so with a care that belied the fabled clumsiness of Dwarves in a way that it was astonishing.

And if Balin who was on guard duty after Bofur, noticed this or the gentle smile on the Miner's face, he said nothing about it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Dwarven affections, or; How to avoid to get caught from one for the rest of your live. **

**Chap. 3, tread carefully when they become overly protective around you… it never means a good thing! **

In Rivendell Bilbo noticed a change in the behavior of the Dwarves toward him.

Actually, he had noticed it already so before, when the wargs had attacked and had hunted them over the grasslands. Right after the debacle with the trolls. Bilbo found out in the mad run through the plains, that he had gotten lots better in running for a longer time at top speed.

The very fact that those beasts wanted to eat him surely had something to do with that too.

On their flight through the grasslands, Bofur and his Brother or Bifur had made sure that Bilbo did not accidentally lag behind the group. One of them had always been near to Bilbo to drag him along or out of the way if needed. When the Elven riders had approached the group in the courtyard, it was Bofur who had tucked him behind him and Bifur to shield Bilbo from harm.

The latter had Bilbo look oddly confused at the back of the Miner.

Bewildered but feeling somewhat happy too at the same time about it, that they seem to care what happened to him; Bilbo refrained from saying something about it all. Instead he simply tried to not make them more trouble from now on. When the group decided to camp outside of the house as an alternative to take the offered beds, it was Kili and Fili who took his bedroll from Bilbo not heading his protests, to place it between their sleeping spot and that of Bofur's group once more.

Thusly, Bilbo ended up sleeping between Kili and Fili on the right side this night and all others and Bofur, Bombur and Bifur on his left.

What bewildered and frustrated the Hobbit a little since he had wanted to take on one of the offered beds! Huffing he turned on the bedroll until he faced Bofur instead of Kili's back that he had glared at and tried to find some rest on the hard ground. Feeling somewhat pleased about the acceptance of the Dwarves and miffed about the missed opportunity to sleep on a soft mattress and a warm blanket at the same time. Once more not noticing the pleased and smug looks that Bofur, Kili and Fili traded over his frame once he fell asleep between them.

It didn't keep him from exploring Rivendell the next day (after sneaking out by the Dwarves) and he spend hours in the library alone over a good book, quite happily.

At his second day in the elven realm Bofur discovered his hideout there but instead of trying to pry Bilbo from his beloved books he simply settled down next to the Hobbit on a sofa there.

"What ya reading?" Bilbo looked up to look at Bofur for a moment half hidden from the big book that the Hobbit clutched onto before he shrugged warily. "The lay of Belerianth… why?" The Dwarf grinned and shrugged. "Just asking. I can't read languages other as Khuzdul and ya looked mightily absorbed by the story."

Gauging the chance for the Dwarf to snatch him from his new favorite pastime slimmer as before, Bilbo smiled up at the Dwarf.

"Do you like to read, Bofur?"

Bofur shook his head softly. "Naa, not so much really. I like it more to spend my time with doing something with my hands, ya know? Have never much been one for reading and writing. I love to hear stories told though I have not the patience to read for longer than half an hour. Usually, when back in Erebor, our mum used to read to Bombur and me. We loved to hear the stories but were never the ones to read them ourselves. Sometimes I miss that…"

His usually cheery mien was rather reflective for once.

It did not really seem to fit the Dwarf in Bilbo's opinion. Sure, he had never thought that Bofur was only smiles and laughter but to see the rather sad look in the eyes of his friend struck a familiar cord in Bilbo. He too had lost his mother to violence and he felt rather bad to have reminded Bofur on his mother now.

Bilbo arched a brow in thought at Bofur's confession and after a while of thinking the Hobbit had suddenly an idea how to repay his friendly companion for all the kindness shown to Bilbo in the last weeks.

"Want to hear this one? It is written in Westron, a translation from the Elvish script as I presume. I can read it for you and before you say something Bofur, I truly do not mind doing so for you. I used to read to my mother when she fell ill after my fathers death. I would love the practice to keep my skills honed."

He looked openly smiling at the Miner that now looked rather surprised back at Bilbo.

Bofur eyed him for several more moments as if to gauge the truth of Bilbo's words than a cheerful smile appeared upon his lips. He nodded at Bilbo. "But only if it doesn't trouble ye, Bilbo." Bilbo waved his words off with a huff that made Bofur chuckle and settled back into the couch to begin the telling. The afternoon flew by this way, far faster as usual and before Bilbo knew it, someone had lit the candles in the room and outside it was dark.

Next to him, Bofur had not moved away from Bilbo the entire time.

At one time and without being noticed by Bilbo, Bofur had settled down on the floorboards right at Bilbo's feet where was more space to his usage and had begun to work on some items to replace the lost ones of the group. Also, without to being noticed by Bilbo, Kili had floated inside at one time and had simply settled down too to work noiselessly on his arrows on the flooring. Soon after his entrance, Fili had found his brother in here and had busied himself with helping Bofur and later Dori to make the needed objects for the group ever since.

This pattern must have continued over entire time Bilbo read.

Ori wrote the story down in Khuzdul into his notebook while Bilbo read it. With Dwalin, of all people possible, there to help the young Dwarf out with whispering to him when the little scribe made an error in his writings.

Balin sat in a nearby chair, dozing off lightly to the even and fluid sound of Bilbo's voice.

In the end, good deal of the group had somehow found their way to the library and had tiptoed inside to listen to Bilbo. Right under the glare of Master Erestor, the head Liberian of Rivendell who was somewhat flummoxed by all the dirt and clatter that the Dwarves brought into his, normally quiet and prim, Library with them. All of them seemingly quite content to listen to Bilbo's narration of the story of Luthien and Beren.

To Bilbo's surprise, there had even been several elves that had snuck in too and had settled down onto the various couches and chairs nearby to listen in!

One of them, a tall golden blond warrior from the looks of him, had even brought his huge sword inside with him and was sharpening and oiling the magnificent blade like a ghost while he had listened, right under the admiring glances of a curious Fili at the fine sword.

Blushing, Bilbo send an apologizing look to Erestor who glared mightily down at said blond, who stubbornly seemed to ignore the raven haired councilor and Liberian of Lord Elrond in turn. Erestor just shook his head with a small smile on his lips when he finally saw Bilbo's confused look and told Bilbo that he was a good narrator. The others agreed with him a bit more enthusiastically. It had Erestor shaking his head anew at their mutual antics and Bilbo. Bilbo promptly flushed all the way up to the tips of his ears.

Bofur just smiled widely at the uncomfortable looking Hobbit when the cheer had died down. "Thank ye for that, Bilbo! That was awfully nice from you."

The kind words had Bilbo promptly blush harder under the amused gazes of the others. Bofur's smile widened a bit more before he put his tools carefully away again. When Bilbo settled down for the night later, he found once again something on his bedding. It was carved little Book, a small medallion with a string attached so he could wear it around the neck.

It was one of the few presents from Bifur that the Hobbit kept with him.

Not aware of it that it had been one of the items that Bofur had carved at his feet, earlier under the amused glances of Fili.


	4. Chapter 4

**Dwarven affections, or; How to avoid to get caught from one for the rest of your live. **

**Chap. 4, avoid to get praise from overly beautiful Elven Liberian's and Councilor's, it ends in missing space and an possessiveness shown, that can be a bit trying. **

That night, he slept with a soft smile on his face, unawares once again that Bofur was wide awake for a good while longer right next to Bilbo.

Just lying on his side facing the Hobbit, watching Bilbo silently with thoughtful eyes for a few hours. The next day Bilbo noticed that several of the Dwarves covertly watched him. So it didn't wonder him overly much when they trickled into the library after a while once he went back there.

He shrugged at that and simply went to retrieve another book from the shelves that he thought that his Dwarrow friends would appreciate to listen to.

He spend the day with reading loudly about the battle of unnumbered tears of the first Age.

And just as Bilbo had thought it would be, the Dwarves enjoyed that much more than the love story of the day before. Especially because Bilbo had chosen a version of the telling of the events that a Dwarven scholar had once written. Even Thorin drifted in at one time and silently listened to Bilbo's voice that evenly read out of the book. When the late evening came and Bilbo finished the book, Erestor actually asked Bilbo if he did not want to stay here and do that as a job… needless to say that the Dwarves did not agree much to his plan to keep their burglar in Rivendell.

Actually Bilbo needed to hold back Kili who seemingly wanted to jump up and into the face of the Noldor in his protest.

The loudest of the protestors being surprisingly Thorin, who told the Elf that, no, they could not keep Bilbo and would they please go and find their own Hobbit? That stealing others' Hobbit's wasn't allowed and neither was it polite. It led to a heated discussion between Erestor and the King that Thorin was (unsurprisingly) losing in the end. Erestor wasn't a councilor for nothing as Thorin grudgingly had to concede to in the end.

Though, he still stubbornly refused to allow the Elf to keep his Burglar in Rivendell.

In the meanwhile they had their argument, Ori, Fili and Kili practically wound themselves around Bilbo under the mock glare of the Golden haired Elf from the day before. Who made playful grabbing moves into the direction of Bilbo until Bofur stepped in between the four and the Elf with a laugh on his lips and his hands hoisted up on his waist and shockingly narrowed, rather cold glinting eyes fixed on the Elf's face. Making sure to keep his voice light and merry while he glared down the blond he addressed the elf in his frank way.

"Our Hobbit, Elf! Go and get Ye'r own if ya want one that badly!"

Behind him Ori nodded wildly at his words, nearly toppling over while doing so. The Elf just laughed seeing their jealous display and left the by now mortified and amused Bilbo and the Dwarves alone after that. All of his way out of the room, he felt the fierce look of the brown eyed Dwarf follow him until he rounded the corner with a laugh.

That night Bilbo needed a while to stop laughing at the absurdity of the situation in which he accidentally had maneuvered himself into once more. And if the space had shortened a good deal down to a mere hand-wide one between the bedrolls of the Dwarves around him and his own over the day, he chose not to comment about that because it would only have led to a debate that Bilbo did not feel up to right now.

Sometimes, willful ignorance saved otherwise ruined nerves! Besides, he felt too content at the moment to change the situation.

As long as the gap did not disappear fully, Bilbo could live with it. Fully aware by the now how territorial and possessive Dwarves could become about the oddest of things. He shrugged if off as he did so a many a time lately when confronted with something bizarre concerning the Dwarves. Just as he ignored it in the same way that he had from now on one Dwarf at least follow him constantly covertly through the Elven residence all the time.

Yes, Bilbo thought, it was better to save the energy and time instead to waste both in trying to make them stop with the nonsense again.

He had grown wiser in handling the capricious Dwarves with the time spent around them. Especially since those of the line of Durin gave him a mighty headache with their antics otherwise and Bilbo valued his sanity more as his privacy. Thank you very much!

When they had to sneak out of Rivendell, Bilbo did not complain and simply went along.

It had no use to try to resist, one of the Dwarves would have simply dragged him along in the end anyways. He found himself back, walking with Bofur's family unit once more, as he had done so a lot in the last weeks. Firmly placed between Bofur and Bifur all the time. And if he wasn't walking with them, the Durin brothers had begun to walk next to Bilbo.

When they reached the Mountain path and had a run in with the Stone Giants, Bilbo got unsurprisingly frightened. After Thorin told him his unpleasant thoughts, all that Bilbo wanted to do was to leave and go home.

However, the ever watchful Bofur intercepted Bilbo on his way out of the cave they had chosen to spend the night in.

Then, the ground gave suddenly out and he found himself back playing riddle games with what Bilbo had silently dubbed the 'Gollum' in the caves under the Goblin Town. When Bilbo found the way out of the tunnel labyrinth, he had a new ring, several new scratches and bruises and a bit more confidence. Enough of the latter at least to stand his ground against Thorin when he found his way back to the others and heard the nasty words of Thorin.

Shortly after that, the brothers first and then Bifur and Bofur hugged Bilbo for being back.

The latter two did not leave his side after that for a second again. Bilbo shrugged it off but he noticed the strangely intense stare Bofur gave him a few minutes afterwards. There was a kind of hunger in the lovely brown eyes of his friend that left Bilbo feeling oddly faint on his feet. He busied himself with checking on his backpack to avoid the dark eyes of Bofur in order not to ponder the weird change in the looks of his friend.

His stomach did these odd flips otherwise.

He found out not much later, that he was the only one beside Ori, his brother Nori and a few of the other Dwarves that had kept their backpacks with them after the Goblins fiasco.

Bilbo had his still with him because he had been carrying it when the bottom of the trap gave in under their feet and the others because on their flight out, they had grabbed their bundles in haste along with their weapons. When the Warg's had suddenly attacked them anew, Bofur had protected him and had killed the warg jumping down the rocks on their side together with Thorin and Dwalin before Bilbo had even gotten his elvish blade out to defend himself.

What followed was one of the most horrible experiences of Bilbo's life.

He did not think when he jumped the Orc that wanted to behead Thorin, he simply acted. Surprisingly, Bilbo survived his mad act of rescuing the Dwarf and the following ride on an eagle.


End file.
